In late September 2009, an 18-year-old Selena Gomez released her first studio album alongside her rock-band posse, The Scene. They accompanied her sound, helping to produce three albums while Gomez played the sassy Alex Russo on “Wizards of Waverly Place.” Fast-forward six years, and the Texan singer-songwriter has ditched The Scene and put out “Revival,” her second solo effort, accompanied by heavy promotion with the top-10 charting of “Good for You” and the promotional single “Same Old Love.”
“Revival” has been long-awaited by Gomez fans, and with good reason — her last album came out in 2013. Gomez’s lyrics and choice of producers have improved with time. The album only does a decent job of establishing her theme of rebirth and adulthood, as some of the vocals can’t keep up with “Revival’s” stellar production value.
The album begins with the title track, starting off with a spoken-word introduction. Gomez harmoniously asserts that she is “reborn in every moment,” and then compares her transformation to that of a butterfly. The production value on the song is excellent and a good choice for an introductory song as it showcases her impressive vocal ability. Her lyrics talk about learning to be happy from the pain that her past mistakes have caused her. “Revival” establishes Gomez’s autonomy as a young female artist in a world where pop stars are constantly judged for their actions.
For the Euro-pop-y dance track on the album, “Kill Em With Kindness” has you covered. Gomez chants about leaving negative emotions aside and using kindness to fight battles. Lyrically, the song is inspiring and sends a good message, but is a little too repetitive. She makes use of a good beat that compliments her voice, but if the song offered more variety in the lyrics, it would have been a certified hit.
Gomez’s third song, “Hands To Myself,” blends together the pop sound Gomez is famous for with the R&B material she’s been experimenting with. She flaunts vocals that sound better than her past singles and it certainly is a well-composed track. Despite this, it still feels kind of empty because this could have been a great song for a duo. The Weeknd comes to mind as a potential collaborator for this track, as his R&B jams have been dominating the radio for the greater part of the year.
Still, Gomez flaunts her high-profile connections in other ways on “Same Old Love,” employing Charli XCX as a writer and background vocalist, as well as Benny Blanco — the powerhouse behind Kesha’s “Tik Tok” and Rihanna’s “Diamonds” — to ensure a hit. This is one of the catchiest songs on the album and Charli XCX’s background vocals give the song the edge that Gomez needs in order to abandon her Disney roots.
Although her album is full of radio-friendly and melodious pop songs, “Sober” and “Body Heat” are the true standouts for single choices. “Sober” is like the “Teenage Dream” of the album — a love jam with strong notes belted out. “Body Heat” is perhaps the most experimental song we’ve heard from her yet. It incorporates strong reggaeton elements that work well with her sound. Gomez seems to be channeling her inner Jennifer Lopez with this Latin-inspired dance track.
Aside from the album’s expected dance hits, Gomez struggled to make “Revival” cohesive. Her theme of a rebirth doesn’t come together fully and songs like “Survivors” and “Camouflage” show Gomez’s inconsistency with her singing. Previous songs on the album flaunt her voice while these tracks sound generic, a problem she could have easily fixed by putting more soul and more of her newly reborn identity into the music.
However, “Revival” is only her second solo album, and the production value makes it clear that her sound has developed in both style and flare. Her vocals, however, have not. Hopefully, she can follow in Rihanna’s footsteps, who has shown us her raw sound on this year’s singles. Gomez would also benefit from showing her fans more experimentation. Her salsa-pop infused track “Body Heat” is sure to be a hit, as her sultry, Lana Del Rey-esque “Good For You,” has been. “Revival” offers something fun to dance to, but overall, Gomez’s “reborn” sound still has to grow.
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